IGI illustrator Kevin McSherry’s step by step for a recent editorial illustration for the Sunday Tribune.
Last Sunday saw the publication of this meisterwerk in the Sunday Tribune. It was commissioned to accompany a profile article on John McElligott, MD of eBay Ireland. McElligott made the point that roll out of broadband in Ireland is proceeding very slowly indeed and is an impediment to online business, nay; an embarrassment . And so say all of us.
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From Roger O’Reilly’s Rodgeblog
Here’s a simple still life set-up I came across years ago from a book by Arthur Stern called “How to see colour and paint it” for doing still life experiments (available on Amazon). It’s a three sided box made of plywood or better again foam core board. Make it whatever size you wish but preferably a size where you can easily get various coloured papers to clip onto all three sides (including white where you need it). What you get are great cast colours. Careful observation of for instance an orange or a coloured bottle will reveal subtle changes in cast colours as you move around the colour backing and the light. The anglepoise gives you a consistent light source. Just move it around to suit. Use a second one if you want.

Momiji Dolls are popular collectable friendship dolls. At the base of every doll is a slot into which can be used to hide a secret or friendship message. This competition brief invites illustrators to dream up a collection of limited edition dolls which will be exclusively available in Selfridges this Christmas. The Deadline is March 22nd. Design Student Joanna Zhou’s blog follows her graduate project designing Gashapon Icons and Momiji characters.

I’ve been meaning to put a post up about the programme covers and posters for The Ark for ages. The image above is for their current Winter programme and is the best one so far. It’s a simple but clever illustration, tapping into the current zeitgeist for all things penguin and is part of a series of ongoing work by Dublin design firm DETAIL.

For those not aware of The Ark, it’s a children’s cultural centre based in Dublin’s Temple Bar.

Bob Byrne is launching his long awaited graphic Novel “Mr. Amperduke” on Feb 14th. The launch night is being held in Dublin’s George Bernard Shaw (the venue for some of the more adventurous art events in recent times) with an accompanying exhibition of original artwork.

Here is what Bob says about his tome…

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German schools will begin distribution this week of a comic book intended to teach children about the Nazi era and the Holocaust. Created by the Dutch cartoonist Eric Heuvel, the 61-page comic book, titled “The Search,” (Die Suche) tells the story of Esther, a fictional Jewish survivor of the Holocaust. For six months the comic book will complement work sheets in history classes in secondary schools in Berlin, and then the project may spread nationwide.

Fearing an outcry from puritanical parents, US Children’s Publisher Boyd Mills Press discussed amongst themselves then actually asked German Artist Rotraut Susanne Berner to censor a scene from a book of hers they were republishing in the US. The controversial scene depicts families visting an art gallery. Apparently this alone isn’t what was causing the problem, no it was the illustration of a painting of a nude female and a tiny male nude statue. The offending male organ is a tiny squiggle in the picture: the male statue itself is only 7.5 millimetres high on the page. Her German publisher Gerstenberg Verlag said the US client, Boyds Mills Press had relented about the changes after the outcry it caused in Germany.

Here’s the official blurb from the American Illustration call for entries site. Last years winners here.

American Illustration – the award winning, large format, beautifully designed and printed hardcover annuals offer high visibility and recognition where it matters most. Both are the exclusive source for assignment and commissioned work. Your work will be seen by a jury made up of top creative professionals, art directors, photo editors, art buyers, gallerists, and publishers. Selected images appear in the books one-image-per-page with an index that includes all creative credits and contact information. In addition to the annuals, juried images appear on the AI-AP web site, which attracts over 200 unique visitors per day. Images remain on the site for life, allowing artists to create an archived portfolio of winning images that can be viewed by potential clients. And we can quickly update your contact information at no extra charge. Inclusion in the book places you in the highest ranks of your profession.
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